About Elevating Women's Health with Patrícia Mota, PT, PhD
Join Dr. Patrícia Mota, PT, PhD, as she takes you behind the scenes of women’s health — from the latest research to everyday experiences. With curiosity, humor, and a love of evidence, Patrícia explores hormones, pregnancy, pelvic health, recovery, and how to stay active through every stage of life.
Each episode blends science, stories, and practical insights, making complex health research easy to understand and apply — for women, healthcare professionals, and anyone curious about how our bodies really work.
🎧 Brought to you by Eleva.care
Stop Normalizing Pain: Evidence-Based Pelvic Health from Periods to Menopause
Host Dr. Patrícia Mota interviews Dr. Patrícia Driusso, Professor at UFSCar, on evidence-based pelvic health, challenging the normalization of pain from periods to menopause.
9 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT
What No One Tells Women About Pelvic Floor Problems | Dr. Christine Jorge #JustBetweenUsAndScience
Host Patrícia Mota interviews Dr. Cristine Homsi Jorge, a leading women's health physiotherapist, about normalizing pelvic floor health and advancing women's healthcare.
22 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT
Pregnancy, Diastasis & What We Got Wrong — Dr. Nina Theodorsen
Dr. Patrícia Mota interviews Nina Theodorsen, researcher and clinician, to debunk myths about pregnancy exercise and diastasis recti, empowering women with evidence-based movement.
11 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT
How Movement Redefines Pregnancy — with Dr. Rubén Barakat
Host Dr. Patrícia Mota interviews Dr. Rubén Barakat, exploring how movement transforms pregnancy and the crucial role of multidisciplinary collaboration in women's health.
24 Sept 2024
Pelvic floor muscle function
Research Report: Pelvic floor muscle function after grade II tears—Surface electromyography test–retest and differences between nulliparous and primiparous
This research article explores the reliability of surface electromyography (sEMG) in measuring pelvic floor muscle (PFM) activation in women who have experienced a grade II perineal tear during childbirth.
The study investigates explicitly the test-retest reliability of sEMG and compares PFM activation between nulliparous (women who have never given birth) and primiparous (women who have given birth once).
The authors find that sEMG is reliable for measuring PFM activation in primiparous women with grade II tears. These women have significantly lower PFM activation during rest and maximal voluntary contraction compared to nulliparous women.
This suggests that grade II perineal tears can negatively impact PFM function and potentially contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD).
The study highlights the importance of monitoring PFM function in women with perineal tears. Further research is needed to investigate the long-term effects of these tears on PFM activation and the development of PFD.
https://doi.org/10.1002/nau.25180
#PelvicFloorFunction #PerinealTears #SurfaceEMG #ReliabilityStudy #PFMactivation
17 Sept 2024
Ultrasound Distance Reliability Study
Research Report: Test-retest and intrarater reliability of 2-dimensional ultrasound measurements of distance between rectus abdominis in women
This research report investigates the reliability of using ultrasound imaging to measure the distance between the rectus abdominis muscles, a condition known as diastasis recti, which is common among pregnant women and those who have recently given birth.
The study focused on the consistency of measurements made at different times and by the same examiner.
The authors found that ultrasound imaging is a reliable tool for measuring diastasis recti, particularly at rest and during specific abdominal exercises. The reliability is good to very good.
The researchers recommend using ultrasound imaging in future studies to assess diastasis recti accurately changes over time.
https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2012.4115
#DiastasisRecti #UltrasoundReliability #AbdominalMuscles #PostpartumWomen #MeasurementError
10 Sept 2024
Prevalence of Diastasis Recti Abdominis (DRA)
Research Report: Prevalence and risk factors of diastasis recti abdominis from late pregnancy to 6 months postpartum, and relationship with lumbo-pelvic pain
This research paper examines the prevalence of diastasis recti abdominis (DRA), a condition characterized by the separation of the abdominal muscles, in first-time pregnant women from late pregnancy until six months postpartum.
The authors sought to identify potential risk factors associated with DRA and determine if DRA was linked to increased lumbo-pelvic pain. Using a longitudinal observational study with ultrasound assessment, they tracked the prevalence of DRA across four measurement points and analyzed various factors, including age, BMI, weight gain, and exercise levels.
While they found a significant decrease in DRA prevalence from late pregnancy to six months postpartum, the study did not reveal any specific risk factors for DRA persistence or a connection between DRA and lumbo-pelvic pain.
The authors acknowledge the limitations of their study, including sample size and the focus on primiparous women, and suggest areas for further investigation, such as examining different anatomical structures and extending the follow-up period.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.math.2014.09.002
#DiastasisRectiAbdominis #Prevalence #RiskFactors #Lumbo-PelvicPain #UltrasoundAssessment #Pregnancy #Postpartum
3 Sept 2024
Inter-rectus Distance Exercises
Research Report: The Immediate Effects on Inter-rectus Distance of Abdominal Crunch and Drawing-in Exercises During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period
This research report investigates the immediate impact of two joint abdominal exercises, the drawing-in and the abdominal crunch, on inter-rectus distance (IRD) in pregnant and postpartum women.
The study, conducted over four time points during pregnancy and postpartum, aimed to determine how these exercises separated the rectus abdominis muscles along the linea alba, a condition known as diastasis recti abdominis (DRA).
The researchers used ultrasound imaging to measure IRD at three locations on the linea alba. They found that the abdominal crunch exercise consistently narrowed the IRD, while the drawing-in exercise generally led to a slight widening.
The study highlights the contrasting effects of these exercises on IRD and suggests that the abdominal crunch may be more effective in reducing DRA than the drawing-in exercise.
https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2015.5459 (https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2015.5459)
#Pregnancy #Postpartum #AbdominalCrunch #Drawing-in # IRDchanges
Inside a recent episode
Stop Normalizing Pain: Evidence-Based Pelvic Health from Periods to Menopause
Published 27 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Because we also have a scientific level of evidence that is robust about the treatment for a colic menstrual. And that women don't have access, they don't do it. These evidence are from the water bottle of water, the one that our aunt gave us. And it should be used. And I think that the modern woman may have forgotten it. It should be remembered. Our TNS has a big role in alleviating a menstrual. And we have other resources not pharmacological too, which also helps the pain moment. But we have a big ally, which is a physical activity, which is not only diminui, alivia a dor, mas ela trata essa dor. […]
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